What editors want : an author's guide to scientific journal publishing /

This short book by two experienced writers is a guide to getting scientific articles published, once they have been written. It deals with judging when to publish, selecting coauthors, and the crucially important selection of a journal. It covers how to submit manuscripts, deal with reviewers and editors, and how to revise--and resubmit. The authors explain the peer-review system, and introduce publication ethics and publishing trends such as open access. The book is oriented toward graduate students. Normally, faculty advisers convey the basics of scientific journal publishing informally, but both students and their advisers will find it convenient to have this material written down. A few weaknesses are evident. The volume does not cover the special problems of scientific fields in which one or two journals have immensely higher prestige; it gives insufficient attention to the merits and disadvantages of publishing in national rather than international journals; it does not explain sufficiently the desirability of archiving in subject and institutional repositories; and it does not adequately warn against the predatory online open-access journals that offer such a temptingly easy publication route to the unaware. Overall, this useful book seems oriented to the biomedical sciences, but is applicable to the social and physical sciences as well. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and researchers/faculty. D. Goodman formerly, Princeton University

Individuals working in the areas of science, medicine, and technology are expected to have a list of publications on their CVs when applying for jobs, credits that will help them to earn tenure and keep a position. But where does the new graduate start? Intended for novice writers, this book provides insight and guidance that will improve a researcher's chances of publication. Covering from pre-submission to acceptance and revision, Benson offers many tools and suggestions for keeping up with literature and with copyright rules, and working with other authors and editors. The chapter on choosing the right journal reminds writers to read back issues of the publication to which they are submitting, and to follow the instructions regarding writing style and citations. Short sections by researchers, publishers, and editors expand upon, for example, options and issues in open access publishing and considerations for international authors. Additional resources in the back of the book cover writing guides, free databases for articles and abstracts, a pre-submission checklist, and image resources. The most valuable aspect of this book is its insight into the editorial process; Benson describes how editors look for innovation and decide if a paper will be influential, and the many details that make a paper more likely to be accepted, the peer-review process, and different types of reviews, and editors explain how a manuscript is evaluated and help the reader put rejection and acceptance into perspective. For those who are accepted advice is given for working with the revision process. VERDICT Although much of the information pertains to scientific papers there is so much helpful, basic advice here that this book will be useful to anyone seeking to publish in academic journals.-Susanne Caro, Univ. of Montana Lib., Missoula (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.